Westchester initiativehttp://www.wfuv.org/taxonomy/term/7198/0
enWestchester County Partnering with Religious Communities http://www.wfuv.org/news/news-politics/130116/westchester-county-partnering-religious-communities
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<a href="/news/news-politics/130116/westchester-county-partnering-religious-communities" class="imagecache imagecache-feed_image imagecache-linked imagecache-feed_image_linked"><img src="http://www.wfuv.org/sites/default/files/imagecache/feed_image/news/photos/Westchester%20Church.jpg" alt="St. Paul&#039;s Church in Mt. Vernon" title="" width="640" height="360" class="imagecache imagecache-feed_image"/></a> </div>
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Initiative aims to connect low-income residents with services </div>
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<p>Westchester County is partnering with its religious communities to bring services to low-income residents. The initiative aims to improve communication between county government and religious organizations.</p>
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<p>County Executive Rob Astorino presented the partnership on Wednesday in White Plains. He said faith communities and the county share a goal.</p>
<p>&quot;The one common thread that we all have is we&#39;re trying to help people.&nbsp; And they&#39;re on the front lines.&nbsp; They know the congregants and parishioners who are among the neediest.&quot;</p>
<p>Elliot Forchheimer, executive director of the Westchester Jewish Council said religious communities are a natural way to reach residents.&nbsp;</p>
<p>&quot;The idea here is understanding that so many people of all faiths connect to their communities via their faiths. It makes sense to connect to these people via their faith-based community.&quot;</p>
<p>Forchheimer said the initiative will help people sort through various county services.</p>
<p>The County has appointed Rose Boone to serve as liaison between the county and the clergy. Boone is Westchester&#39;s deputy social services commissioner for family investment.</p>
<p>Two Democratic legislators, Alfreda Williams and MaryJane Shimsky, responded and said the initiative is a &quot;smokescreen&quot; for Astorino&#39;s 2013 budget cuts to important programs and services.</p>
News & PoliticsAstorinochuchElliot Forchheimerreligious communitiesWestchesterWestchester County Executive Rob AstorinoWestchester initiativeWestchester Jewish CouncilWed, 16 Jan 2013 21:56:56 +0000Jeff Coltin36296 at http://www.wfuv.org